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MONDAY, Jan. 9, 2012 — When a man recently walked out of a tattoo parlor with a brand-new design on his penis, he was left with more than just a permanent reminder of a bad decision: The tattoo also have him a permanent erection.

The 21-year old man from Iran was inked with the words “borrow be salaamat” — Persian script that translates to “good luck on your journeys,” followed by the letter “M” (the initial of his girlfriend’s last name). After the initial pain of the procedure subsided about a week later, he began to experience, of all things, a semi-erection — and it wouldn’t go away, according to Irianian urologists in the Journal of Sexual Medicine.

Now after getting over the initial horror incited by the thought of injecting needles down there, you may be left wondering: How could a tattoo lead to an everlasting hard-on?

According to MSNBC, the urologists explain it like this: “Handheld needles are used and there is no control of the depth of the needle. Henna, ash, and other natural pigments are used by traditional tattooists. They first use their needles to penetrate the skin. Then they apply the coloring material on the perforated skin surface.” The tattoo artist punctured the penis too deeply, say the doctors, damaging blood vessels and causing fistulas (abnormal connections between blood vessels) and a pseudoaneurysm (a hematoma that forms from a leaking artery) — and, hence, a priapic erection (which means it just won’t go away).

What’s wrong with having a 24/7 erection (other than the fact that it’s downright embarrassing)? When a penis is erect, it is deprived of oxygen — and if it is deprived of oxygen too long, that can lead to the erectile tissue being destroyed and damaged and possibly leading to erectile dysfunction.

The doctors in this case report that the young man has refused treatment, which could involve having the blood removed (he is still able to have sex and experience a full erection). Nonetheless, the doctors are recommending this: Men, keep your penis ink-free.